Tuesday (September 8) is the decisive day for whether or not AEK will grant Olympiacos the use of Sunel Arena while renovation work on the SEF is underway.
Negotiations between the two basketball clubs are… at a critical juncture, and a resolution to the matter is expected later today, one way or another, as there is no other option. After all, the deadline set by the Professional Sports Committee expires on Thursday, and the Greek Basketball League (ESAKE) is also pushing for the draw for the new season to take place—which will require a tiebreaker if the two teams end up in the same group.
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Countdown to the Panathinaikos derby
In recent hours, the two sides have been engaged in “feverish” discussions regarding every detail of the stadium concession. There are substantive issues, such as the safeguards AEK is requesting in case of damage to the stadium grounds, as well as technical issues that are not easily resolved, such as the fact that the two teams have different ticket management companies.
Although it seemed yesterday that the situation had reached an impasse, the two sides have been in constant contact with the aim of finding a middle ground, and although no definitive predictions can be made about the outcome, it is most likely that they will reach an agreement. The plan, should this happen, will call for a lease-to-own arrangement, as it is not yet entirely clear when the new SEF will be ready for use. In any case, this is not expected to happen any sooner than January or February, so if AEK and Olympiacos reach an agreement, they will share the same arena for their league and European matches for at least 4–5 months.
Olympiacos doesn’t have many options if it fails to reach an agreement with AEK. The idea of the team traveling to Crete, Cyprus, Sofia, or Belgrade is no longer on the table, as the team does not want to be burdened with extra travel. The most feasible alternative is the Peristeri Indoor Arena (“Andreas Papandreou”), which, however, has a capacity of just 4,000 spectators—less than half that of the Sunel Arena and one-quarter of the new SEF— which will have an impact on Olympiacos’ revenue.
Related to the arena issue is the case of Giannoulis Larentzakis. The international shooting guard has agreed to a three-year contract with AEK (with total earnings close to 2 million euros), and AEK is willing to pay a buyout to Olympiacos (no more than 200,000), however, unless the deal for the arena between the two clubs is finalized, it seems difficult, if not impossible, for the “Red-and-Whites” to agree to let the 33-year-old star go. On the other hand, a deal regarding the stadium would pave the way for “Larry” to return to “Enosis.”
*photo source: aekbc.gr
